scir

• IPA^(key): /ʃiːr/

From Proto-West Germanic *skīru.

• sċiir, sċȳr

sċīr f

1. office (status of an official)
2. district (under an official or governor)
3. administrative region, shire (consisting of a number of hundreds or wapentakes, ruled jointly by an alderman and a sheriff)
   • Laws of King Ine

     Ġif hē ealdormon sie, ðolie his sċire, buton him kyning arian wille

     If he is an alderman, he shall lose his shire, unless the king wishes to pardon him.

Strong ō-stem:

• Middle English: schire, chire, schere, schyere, schyr, schyre, shere, shiere, shire, shyre, ssire
  • English: shire
    • → Icelandic: skíri
  • Scots: shire

From Proto-Germanic *skīraz, from Proto-Germanic *skīriz (“pure, bright”).

Cognate with Old Frisian skire, Old Saxon skīr, Dutch schier (“white, grey”), German schier (“pure”)), Old Norse skírr (Swedish skir), Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌴𐌹𐍂𐍃 (skeirs) Related to scinan.

sċīr

1. bright, shining
2. clear, pure

• Middle English: schyre
  • English: shire (obsolete),
  • English: sheer (partly)